• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• v.59 no.1
• /
• pp.1-5
• /
• 2021

The PEM(Proton Exchange Membrane)water electrolysis uses the same PEM electrolyte membrane as the PEM fuel cell and proceeds by the same reaction but the opposite direction. The PEM fuel cell has many methods of degradation analysis since many studies have been conducted on the degradation and durability of the membrane and catalyst. We examined whether PEM fuel cell durability evaluation method can be applied to PEM electrolytic durability evaluation. During the PEM electrolytic degradation process, LSV(Linear sweep voltammetry), CV(Cyclic voltammetry), Impedance, SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) and FT-IR(Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy) were analyzed and compared under the same conditions as the PEM fuel cell. As the PEM fuel cell, hydrogen passing through the membrane was oxidized at the Pt/C electrode, and the hydrogen permeation current density was measured to analyze the degree of degradation of the PEM membrane. Electrode degradation could be analyzed by measuring the electrode active area (ECSA) by CV under hydrogen/nitrogen flowing conditions. While supplying hydrogen and air to the Pt/C electrode and the IrO2 electrode, the impedance of each electrode was measured to evaluate the durability of the electrode and membrane.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.469-475
• /
• 2008

In this paper, control of small PEM(Proton Exchange Membrane) fuel cell stack by a microprocessor is introduced. The water management of fuel cell stack inside, a key technique in fuel cell control, can be achieved by adjusting the required air flow for fuel and cooling, and by purging the excessive water from the stack. It is very important to precisely control the BOS(Balance of Stack) since the stable operation of the fuel cell system mainly depends on it. In this study the fuel efficiency of the system is improved by the control of the system based on the measured air flow and purge cycle during the optimal operation and its effectiveness is proved by the experiments. The operating stability of the system is improved by the developed controller using a microprocessor and it is expected to be widely used for the control of small PEM fuel cell stack.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.255-262
• /
• 2011

This paper proposes a grid-tied power conditioning system for fuel cell, which consists of three-phase current-fed DC-DC converter and three-phase PWM inverter. The three-phase current-fed DC-DC converter boosts fuel cell voltage of 26-48 V up to 400 V with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) scheme, while the three-phase PWM(Pulse Width Modulation) inverter controls the active and reactive power supplied to the grid. The operation of the proposed power conditioning system with fuel cell model is verified through simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC software. The feasibility of hardware implementation is verified through experimental works with a laboratory prototype with 1.2 kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. The proposed power conditioning system can be commercialized to interconnect the fuel cell with the power grid.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
• /
• 2007.06a
• /
• pp.737-738
• /
• 2007

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.419-424
• /
• 2014

Direct ethanol fuel cell has been fabricated with ceramic membrane. A porous silicon carbide (SiC) membrane having approximately 30% porosity has been applied for a direct ethanol proton exchange membrane (DE-PEM) fuel cell. A horizontal type cell having Pt ($18mg/cm^2$) catalyst layer on both side of the ceramic membrane was used for the demonstration test. The ethanol oxidation based-fuel cell stack showed very high voltage (1.289V) and measurable current level (68mA) even though at room temperature.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 2010

Air-cathode microbial fuel cell consisted of 4 unit cells were operated under batch condition and electricity generation and microbial community structure variation were investigated, depending on separator types and cathode characteristics: A) PEM(Proton Exchange Membrane)-30% Wet proofing Carbon Cloth(WC), B) AEM(Anion Exchange Membrane-WC, C) CEM(Cation Exchange Membrane)-WC, D) PEM-No Wet proofing Carbon Cloth(NC). Maximum power densities of PEM-WC, AEM-WC and CEM-WC were 510.9, 522.1 and 504.8 $mW/m^2$, respectively. But PEM-NC showed relatively lower maximum power density of 218.3 $mW/m^2$. And PEM-WC, AEM-WC and CEM-WC showed similar internal resistances(20.0-28.2 ${\Omega}$). PCRDGGE, PCA and diversity indices showed that uncultured bacteria which reported in previous MFC studies were detected in suspended growth bacteria and attached growth bacteria would be affected not by separator type but by cathode characteristic. Thus, cathode characteristic can be one of the critical factors for power generation in air-cathode MFC using PEM, AEM, and CEM as separator.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.155-170
• /
• 2012

Fuel cells have been considered as alternative power generation system in the twenty-first century because of eco-friendly system, high power density and efficiency compare with petroleum engine system. Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are the key components in fuel cell system. Currently, Nafion has been used in fuel cell system. However, Nafion has disadvantages such as low conductivity at high temperature and high cost. The researchers have focused to reach the high properties such as high proton conductivity, low permeability to fuel, good chemical/thermal stability, good mechanical properties and low manufacturing cost. Various methods have been developed for preparation of proton exchange membrane with high performance and commercialization of fuel cell system. The hybrid organic/inorganic membrane has the potentials to provide a unique combination of organic and inorganic properties with improved proton conductivity and mechanical property at high temperatures. So, this paper presents an overview of research trend for the composite membranes prepared by organic/inorganic system using various inorganic materials.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2006.11a
• /
• pp.411-412
• /
• 2006

PEM(proton exchange membrane) fuel cell have been receiving considerable interest as power source because of high-energy efficiency. However by using reforming hydrogen gas, CO poisoning occur in anode. To improve CO tolerance PtRu catalysts were prepared by galvanostatic pulse electrodeposition. The composition(atomic ratio) of catalysts are controllable by using different concentrations of PtRu solutions. Also, the particle sizes of PtRu on carbon are similar to about $3.5{\sim}4nm$ regardless of concentration.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.288-294
• /
• 2013

This gas analysis data come from the hydrogen which is produced by proton exchange membrane. Main impurities of hydrogen are methane, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. The concentration of impurities is ranged between 0.0191 to $315{\mu}mol/mol$ for each impurity. Methane contamination is believed from the electrode reaction between carbon doped electrode and produced hydrogen. Nitrogen contamination should take place the sampling process error, not from PEM hydrogen Production system.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.120-132
• /
• 2021

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrochemical device that generates electricity by utilizing bacterial catalytic activity that degrades wastewater. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) is the core component of MFC that decides its performance, and Nafion membrane is the most widely used PEM. In spite of the excellent performance of Nafion, it has drawbacks such as high cost, biofouling issue, and non-biodegradable property. Recent studies in MFC attempted to synthetize the alternative membrane for Nafion by incorporating various polymers, sulfonating, fluorinating, and doping other chemicals. This review summarizes characteristics and performances of different composite membrane based MFCs, mostly focusing on PEM.